The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-11-01
YOUNG MEMS DEFENSE.
DR.. Talmage's Sermon Last Sum
day Morning.
A GOOD HOME THE BEST DEFENSE


thousand people, sitting and standing in the
Brooklyn Tabernacle, and all the adjoining
rooms packed, and people turned away! Such
was the scene today. The congregation sang
awake my soul, stretch every nerve,
And press with vigor on"
The Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, n. D..
preached on the subject: "Defense of Young
Men" and took his text from II. Kings chap
ter 6, verse II: "And the Lord opened the
eyes of the young man." He said
One morning in Dothan a young theological
student was scared by finding himself and
Elisha, the prophet upon whom he waite l.,
surrounded by whole army of enemies. But
venerable Elisha was not scared at all no
cause he saw the mountains full of defense
for him, i'll chariots made out of
fire, wheels of fire, dashboard of fire, and
cushion of fire. drawn by horses with nostrils
OF fire, and name of fire. and launches of fire,
and hoofs OF ire-a supernatural appearance
that could not be seen with the natural eve
SO the old minister prayed that the young min
lister might see them Also and the prayer was
answered, and the Lord opened the eyes of the
young man, and he also saw the fiery process
sion, looking somewhat, L suppose like the
Adirondacks or the Alleghanies i'll this autumn
nal reSplendence,
Many young men, standing among the most
tremendous reaiti9s have their eyes half shut
or entirely closed. May God grant that my
safety, your opportunity and your destiny.
a mighty defense for young man is a good
home. Some of my hearers look back with
tender satisfaction to their early home 1t
may have been rude and rustic, hidden among
the hills, and architect or upholSterer never
planned or adorned it, But all the fresco on
princely walls never looked SO enticing to you
as those rough hewn rafters. You can think
OF no park or arbor of trees planted on fash
ionabe country seat so attractive as the plain
hrOnlS that in n Ol1 hon 30
and sang under the weeping willows. No
barred gateway, adorned with statue
OF bronze, and swung open by
obsequious porter in full dress, has half the
second dwelling place, your adopted home,
that also is sacred forever. There you built the
first family altar. There your children were
born. All those trees you planted. That room
is solemn, because once in it, over the hot pill
low, Tapped the wing of death. Uner that
roof you expect when your work is done to lie
down and die. You try with many words 10
tell the eXcellency of the place, but you fail.
There is only one word in the language that
can describe your meaning. 1t is home.
Now declare it, that young man is compar-
atiyely safe who goes out into the world with
charm like this upon him. The menlnTr af
- q sas pissiaiill anu
1 never knew man faithful both to his early
and adopted home, who at the same time was
given over to any gross form of dissipation or
wickedness. He who seeks his enjoyment
chiefly from outside association, rather than
from the more quiet and unpresuming pleas
pissed his fathers house, and you know his
history of sin and his death of shame. If
you seem unnecessarily isolated from your
kindred and former associates, is there not
some room that you can call yorktown? Into it
gather books, and pictures, and harp. Have
portrait over the mantel. Make ungodly
mirth stand back from the threshold. Conse-
crate some spot with the knee of prayer. By
the memory of other days, fathers counsel,
and mothers love, and sisters confidence,
call it home
Another defense fc- young man is indus
triouS habit. Many young men, i'll starting
upon life in this age expect to make their way
through the world by the use of their wits
rather than the toll of their hands. A child
now goes to the city and fails twice before he
is as old as his father was when lie first saw
the spires of the great town. Sitting in some
Office rented at thousand dollars year, he
is waiting for the bank to declare its dividend
or goes into the market expecting before
night to be made rich by the rushing up of the
stocks. But luck seemed so dull he resolved
on some other tack Perhaps he borrowed
from his employers money drawer, and for
gets to put il back, or, for merely the
purpose of improving his penmanship malos a
copy-plate of merchants signature. Never
mind, all is right in trade. In some dark night
there may come in his dreams vision OF
Blackwell's Island. or OF Sing Sing, but it soon
vanishes. In short time he will be ready to
retire from the busy world and amid his fioclls
and herds culture the domestic virtues. Then
those young men who once were his school
mates, and knew no better than to engage in
honest work, viii come with their OK teams to
draw him logs, and with their hard hands help
heave up his castle. This is no fancy picture
1t is every day life. / should not wonder if
there were some rottOn beams IN that beauti-
full palace. ! should MT wonder if dire sick
nesses should smite/ through the young
man, or if God should pour into
his cup Of life a drapght that would thrill him
with unbcarable agony. / should not wonder
if his children should become 10 him n living
curse making his home a pest and disgrace.
l should not wonder if he goes to a miserable
grave, and beyond it into the crashing Of
teeth The way Of the ungodly shall perish.
My young friends, there is no way TO genu-
inc success except through toll. either Of the
head or hand at the battle OF Crecy in 1876,
the Prince of Wales, finding himself heavily
pressed b. the enemy, sent word to his father
for help The father, watching the battle
from windmill, and seeing that his son was
not wounded and could gain the day if he
would. sent word: "No viii not come. Let
the boy win his spurs for, il God will, / de-
sire that this day be his with all its hOnOrs."
Young man, fight your own battle ali through,
and you shall have the victory. Oh, it is a
battle worth fighting. Two 1nonarchs of old
fought duel, Charles V. and Francis, and
the stakes were Kingdoms Milan and Bur-
sHIuJ' iOu liSuJ WIN olli anu Lue bldhe Is
heaven or hell
DO not get the fatal idea that you are a ge-
Mus, and that therefore there is no need Of
close application. II is here where multitudes
fail. The great curse Of this age is tho ge-
muses., men with enormous geli-conceit and
egotisn, and nothing else. had rather be an
OK than an eagle; plain, and plodding, and
useful, rather than high-hying and good for
nothing but TO pick out the eyes Of carcagses.
Extraordinary capacity without use Is eXtraor-
binary failure There is no hope for that per-
son who begins life resolved TO live by his wits,
for the probability Is he has not any IL was
not safe for Adam, even in his uniallen state,
10 have nothing to do, and therefore God
commanded him 10 be a farmer and horticultu-
rist. He was 70 dress the garden and
keep II, and had he and bis wife obeyod the
divine Injunction and been ot work, they
would not have been sauntorng under the
trees and hungering after that fruit which
destroyed them and their posteutyj proof
positive for all ages 10 come that those who do
not attend 30 their business are sure to get
into mischief. i do not know that the prod
igal in scripture would ever have been re-
claimed had he not given up his idle habits
and gone 10 feeding swine for a living.
Go 70 the ant, thou sluggard, consider her